Dwarfs versus Ogre Pirates!

Dwarfs:
Heroes
G GENERAL Runesmith Gjerlof Greymantle (RoSpellbreaking, RoFurnace, RoStone) – joined IB
B BSB Thane Snorri Stonehammer (MRoGromril, RoLuck) – joined IB
R Runesmith Gunnar Stoneslab (RoSpellbreaking, RoStone)- joined LB

Core
DW Dwarf Warrior Horde (50; hw+s, full cmd)
LB Longbeards (24; gw+s, full cmd, RoStoicism)

Special
C Cannon (RoForging, RoBurning)
GT Grudge Thrower (RoAccuracy, RoPen x 2)
IB Ironbreakers (23; hw+s, full cmd)

Rare
OG1 Organ Gun (RoAccuracy, RoFroging)
OG2 Organ Gun (RoForging)

Ogre Kingdoms
Lords
G GENERAL Tyrant Sharkbelly (Mawseeker, Greedy Fist, Enchanted Shield, hvy armor, brace of pistols)- joined OB

Heroes
B BSB Bruiser (hvy armor, Lookout Gnoblar, Talisman of Endurance) – joined OB
U Butcher (Level 2, Biting Blade)- joined IG (spells = Bullgorger and Spine Marrow)- joing IG

Core
OB Ogre Bulls (7; Ironfists, full cmd)
IG Ironguts (8; hvy armor, gw, full command, War Banner)
G Gnoblars (36; full command, trappers)

Special
LB Leadbelchers (4; full command)
ME Maneaters (4; hvy armor, 2 w/ brace of pistols, 2 w/ gw, full cmd)
G Gorger

Rare
IB Ironblaster

The Battlefield

Terrain placed to be pleasing to the eye, more or less. No funny business with random terrain (or trees that attack you or whatnot). The structure in the lower left portion of the map is the Skullvane Manse. The small (here shown as blue) building near the bottom of the map is a well from Forge World. The connected buildings along the right, just over halfway across the board, are pieces from the Warhammer Mansion scenery set. All the terrain pieces were wonderfully painted by Nick (as was his Ogre Pirate army…my Dwarfs are mostly white primer, but I am working on it!).

Dawn Attack

We rolled off, and my Dwarfs had to deploy first. The scenario special rules scattered my units across my entire side of the board, as shown. That being said, this is more-or-less how I was going to deploy anyway; the massive horde of dawi warriors in the middle with the specialized troops (LB & IB) on either flank. I was planning on leaving my war machines alone, out on a flank, as a method of luring some greedy enemy units away from the main lines.

Since I deployed first, there was only a 1 in 6 chance I would not get the first turn. He rolled, and I went first.

D1:

I wanted to consolidate my lines a bit more, since the battle was starting early in the morning, before we had our breakfast (or coffee!). Thus, the Ironbreakers out on my left flank marched in toward the Warrior Horde in the center, and the Longbeards out on the right flank did the same. This instinctive “forming up” was likely a waste of time, and probably a result of me not having a good plan. I did know one thing: I wanted to get a good number of rounds of shooting into that collection of Ogres before I had to fight them.
To that end, the Grudge Thrower aimed an indirectly fired rock at the Butcher in the Ironguts unit, but the shot scattered a bit (only by 1 or 2 inches). The template hole drilled a different guy (6 wounds!), and the Butcher passed a Look Out Sir roll. The unit took another wound from the rock shards. Next up, my cannon fired a shot intended to skid through both the Ironguts unit (along a line containing the Butcher) and hopefully also clip the Ironblaster parked behind them. The cannon ball hit the Ironguts and dealt only 2 wounds (the Butcher passed another LOS roll).
I wasn’t done with shooting at that poor Ironguts unit, though. Organ Gun 1 let loose with 12 shots, dealing another wound. Then Organ Gun 2 also sent 12 shots their way, dealing 2 more wounds. The sad Ironguts, now with three less members, passed a Panic test and my turn ended.

OK1:

The opposing general failed his Stupidity roll, and drooled while shuffling straight ahead a couple of inches. Hee hee! Across the Ogre lines everyone advanced. I was jealous of how large a movement characteristic these guys had! No magic to speak of from the butcher. He’s probably too scared of my dawi to concentrate.
The Ironblaster let loose with a volley of cannonballs (sounds scary!). When the smoke cleared, one of my Organ Guns was gone and a single Dwarf Warrior was laid low. Could’ve been worse?

D2:

Again I attempt to be too cute for my own good (maybe?) and try to skip a cannonball through the Ironguts with hopes of also clipping the Ironblaster. This time I roll a 1 to wound on the Ironguts unit. As I write this now, I suppose it was unlikely to have a cannonball go through two ranks of large monstrous infantry with multiple wounds each and still make it to the Ironblaster behind them. I have to kill them outright in order to have the cannonball not stop. Right?
The Grudge Thrower attempts to pick up the slack and drop a rock on the Ironguts. Sadly, I rolled a misfire. Luckily, I then rolled a 5 on the misfire chart, meaning I would be back in business next turn. Organ Gun 2, can you salvage our round of shooting? Somewhat. OG2 hits the Irongut unit 5 times, dealing a single wound. I understand a gorger (dressed as an Ogre Ninja) will be arriving soon, likely to threaten my war machines.

OK2:

Forward! All units advance bravely into the face of dawi resistance. The Ogre Ninja (gorger) indeed arrives, just behind my Grudge Thrower. No magic, again. Fine by me. It seems I will get one more round of indirect fire, then its lights out. The Leadbelchers shoot at OG2, but fail to inflict any wounds. The Ironblaster shoots at the Warrior Horde, killing 2 brave dwarfs.

D3:

In desperation, my cannon attempts to shoot the Ogre Ninja (Gorger) with grapeshot. Doesn’t hurt him. Didn’t have a clear LOS to the other targets from previous turns, so shooting at the approaching Maneaters or Gorger seemed a good idea. Grapeshot, however, does not seem a good idea. My Grudge Thrower, sensing the end, lobs an indirect shot at the Ironblaster, nailing it and delivering 6 wounds! My Organ Gun shoots at the Leadbelchers, killing one and Pancking the unit! The nearby Gnoblars need a 5 to bravely stand their ground in the face of fleeing Ogres. They roll: a 5.

OK3:

The turn in which we say goodbye to some war machines. The Gorger charges the Grudge Thrower, the Maneaters charge the Cannon. The Panicky Leadbelchers just barely manage to rally. Too bad. The treacherous pirate Sharkbelly (and his official retinue of Ogre Bulls and BSB) continue toward the left flank of the dawi lines.
No magic, no shooting.
In close combat the Grudge Thrower crew manages to wound the Gorger, but takes two wounds in return. The last dawi crewmember makes his Ld test and holds. The Maneaters make quick work of the Cannon, on the other hand, and reform to face the Longbeards.

D4:

I am now trying to figure out which close combats I will be getting into here. I was thinking the main Dwarf Warrior Horde (supported by LB and IB) was going to be tangling with the Gnoblars, Leadbelchers, and Ironguts, right up the middle while ignoring the Orge Bulls on the left and the Maneaters on the right. But now I decide to maneuver the Longbeards into position to protect the right flank, and send the Warriors and Ironbreakers left toward Sharkbelly.
To open the shooting phase, the last Organ Gun clobbers 20 shots into the Ironguts, 7 of which turn into wounds when all is said and done. The remaining monsters (including the Butcher I have been picking on) narrowly fail their Ld test and Panic! The Gnoblars nearby, content to watch the Leadbelchers flee in the previous round, have to roll too. They (again) need a 5. They roll a 6. Yay! The center is fleeing. Even better, the Gnoblars are hung up right in the way of the Leadbelchers. Hee hee hee.
In close combat, the last Grudge Thrower crew member dies to the Ogre Ninja (Gorger). I saw that coming.

OK4:

Gnoblars do not rally, and flee through the Leadbelchers, who laugh at them. The Ironguts also fail to rally, and I like the prospects of two units fleeing off the board next turn.
The Gorger and Maneaters both declare charges on the newly re-positioned Longbeards. <Grumble, grumble, “In our day the ogres were bigger and much nastier…” grumble, grumble> The gorger put a wound on the Runesmith and the Maneaters account for 4 Longbeard deaths. The stout veterans respond by killing the Gorger (2 wounds) and dealing 4 more wounds to the Maneaters (killing one), forcing a Break test on the survivors. They pass (for now). Sharkbelly backs away from the mad Dwarfs.

D5:

I am fully committed to sending both the Warrior Horde and the Ironbreakers over to the left flank to come to grips with General Sharkbelly. I attempt to set up a flank charge situation, but the terrain looks unfavorable. In retrospect, I guess I could reform the Warriors somehow and tempt the ogre charge into the Ironbreakers. Its tight quarters, over there…close-in movement techniques are something I will need to work on.
With the Gnoblars and Ironguts running away, the Organ Gun tries its hand killing Leadbelchers again. When the smoke clears, only two wounds were added to the ogres.
In close combat, the vicious Maneaters kill 6 Longbeards, while the dwarf veterans deal 3 more wounds to the ogres in return. The Longbeards are forced to take a Break test. They pass easily.

OK5:

The Gnoblars and Ironguts both rally, right at the edge of the board. This is a critical occurrence that will have a big impact on the game’s final score. General Sharkbelly sees how many angry dwarfs are in front of him, and decides to back up. “This flank is closed, me boys!” he is heard yelling.
In close combat, the Longbeards lose three more brave grumblers, then wipe out the last of the Maneaters. They reform toward the center of the board.

D6:

We are in the final turn. This looks like a draw, to me. I have bloodied many units, completely eliminated only a few. The Dwarf Warrior Horde declares a charge on the treacherous Sharkbelly. They are 11 inches apart, I needed to roll high. I didn’t. I wind up moving 2 inches forward.
The Organ Gun puts two more wounds on the Leadbelchers, killing one of them. Unfortunately, the pass their Panic test.

OK6:

C’mon, Sharkbelly, meet your doom! It is not to be. Thinking discretion the better part of valor, the old pirate holds firm, just outside of axe and hammer range. Wisely, opposing general Nick charges the Leadbelcher survivors into my last Organ Gun, killing the crew! Ahhhhhhhhh!!! With that, the game ends.

All told, we battered each other fairly well. I lost three Dwarf Warriors, 13 Longbeards, and all my war machines, giving a total of 620 points to Nick. In return, I managed to kill the Ogre Ninja (Gorger), the Maneaters (with their standard, lost in close combat!), and the Ironblaster, for a total of 582 points. A draw! We figured the two armies, having been inconvenienced by the nature of the Dawn Attack, stumbled upon each other in the half light, exchanged a few punches, then faded back into the early morning mists to gather themselves.

The "What If?" Game.
Three events that swung the battle, perhaps, where the rallying of the Gnoblars and Ironguts right at the board’s edge in turn 5 and the killing of the last Organ Gun in turn 6. If those had gone the Dwarf’s way, we’d be talking about a 1286 to 475 Dwarf victory!

What’d I learn?
I love this sort of Dwarf army. Pound them with war machines, hack and smash with axe and hammer.As usual, I need to get much better at devising a plan for each of my units. Due to the scattered deployment as per the scenario, I was a bit on my back foot to start. The Ironbreakers and Warriors tried to bide their time, hoping to work together to crush anything that made it through the hail of lead. I was conflicted about where to send them, though, the flank versus the center, as the Skullvane Manse at the left edge of my central deployment zone cut that portion of the board in two. In the end, I sat perhaps too long, and they missed out on the action.

The Ogre General, his bodyguard, and BSB were worth 741 points. They came down the left flank completely untouched, and potentially pinned 1062 of my points (general, BSB, Warrior Horde, Ironbreakers) in place. As I said, I didn’t quite know whether the main fight would be “up the gut” against the Ironguts and Gnoblars, or “along the side” with the General and his Bulls. Ultimately, the answer was “Neither”. I am sure I could have more optimally decided on something much earlier in the battle, then executed that plan. As I mentioned above, I definitely need more work on the “close-in” game; i.e. maneuvering units in tight quarters (choked with terrain and other units) with an eye to setting up supported combats. Another reason I didn’t sally forth up the center is I didn’t want to restrict my firing lanes. My Organ Guns were fearsome foes indeed! The pair dealt at least 16 wounds to the enemy, 15 of those coming from a single gun!

On the right flank, I may have been able to get the Longbeards stuck in sooner. Maybe I could have committed them in such a way as to save a war machine or two. Not sure, as the Ninja popped up from out of nowhere. I don’t think I will use grapeshot again anytime soon.
Having a good block of Rangers somewhere would have been great, both for their crossbows and for their great weapons.

Overall Impressions
I started the game thinking I would place the war machines in exposed places in order to get a lot of use out of them, letting them get killed if necessary. Well, they were all killed in the end. Perhaps a slightly more conservative attitude toward them would have helped, but I can’t be sure. The Gorger is going to get at least one of them, and one was lost to counter battery fire. In the end, I suppose I should have shot everything (at least the cannon) at the Ironblaster first, instead of trying to skip cannonballs through the Butcher’s unit (I was trying to soften them up for the inevitable close combat—which never came).

Thanks for reading!